21st Annual Cruisin' Ocean City - Sun, Surf, and Hot Rods

Once the winter weather passes and the warm temps is back there's nothing quite like the adrenalin rush you experience when taking your hot rod or custom out for a road trip, especially on the East Coast. Now in its 21st year, one of the neatest shows across the country to have earned the reputation of being a true driving event is Cruisin' Ocean City, in Ocean City, Maryland. The bitchin' seaside community opens up its 10-mile strip to more than 3,000 enthusiastic car and truck owners for an extended weekend every May, leaving the scent of high octane juice hanging heavy in the air. The weekend kicks off at "the inlet" which serves as the epicenter for the festivities. Bordered by perfect beaches and wicked surf; parking for 1,500 vehicles disappears by 10 AM on Saturday but turns over regularly due to other fun mini-events along the strip. The inlet features a traditional old timey amusement park complete with a Ferris wheel and scream-worthy haunted house. There's also a neat boardwalk that stretches for miles laden with loads of retail shops and food vendors hawking an endless array of fried goodies and sweets. There were also countless sponsor exhibitors including General Motors Performance Division, Summit, Meguiar's, PPG, and K&N Filters to mention but a few to check out. Every year you can count on meeting celebrities at the show and this year you had the chance to meet Danielle Colby Cushman from TV's American Pickers who spent plenty of time meeting her legions of fans.

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Once you head out from the inlet to hit the strip, a stop by the Convention Center always packs a number of treats with this year including a chance to check out TV's original Batmobile as well as a live collector car auction by Express Auctioneers inside the Convention Center, a special indoor car show, and numerous vendors. There was also a number of other mini-events happening all day long including shows at Hooters, the Ice Cream Castle, and Phillips Crab House to mention but a few. If this sounds like fun; you're only half way there 'cuz once the inlet get-together closes for the evening, its time to tank up, grab a bite and head back out onto the strip for even more festivities. It's easy to feel welcomed with thousands of cheering fans greeting you from sidewalks, hotel balconies, parking lots, and multi-level garages as your odometer spins wildly. This year, there were plenty of traditional rides mingling with stoke, muscle cars, and Pro-Mods on methanol. You could hear the roar of healthy V-8 stalking the main strip well into the morning hours. This is one event that keeps the excitement flowing all weekend long till its time to head home. You can check it all out at www.specialeventpro.com.

3/30One of the cool portions of the event is being able to participate in the early morning cruise down the historic Ocean City boardwalk as you are greeted by cheering fans lining the beach.